Revenge Is Glorious
by T.E. Takeuchi
Summary: Something happened the year before Hermione went to Hogwarts and found out the true nature of herself; and Draco was a part of it. What happens when that comes back to haunt her? Demons lurk in the shadows. AU, post OotP D/Hr, H/G, R/L.
1. Meeting Him

Revenge is Glorious Chapter 1-Meeting him

Hermione Granger could be found sitting in the library. It was late. About 9:30. Well, it was late for a 10 year old. Her curfew was 10:00, so; actually, Hermione Granger could be found packing up her mountain of books onto her wagon, in the library, late at night.

She was a short little girl with great big hazel eyes, and brown curly matted hair that frizzed up and puffed out. She always wore a button up shirt and a long black skirt that went down just past her knees. She was also wearing her dark blue knee socks with her favorite black clogs.

Hermione Granger was a smart little girl; she didn't really care about her looks, or who liked her or not. She never really had, and guessed that she never really would.

Finally, she was done and she heaved her wagon over to the librarian's desk. She could just see over the counter, and she reached up, sliding her library card over to the librarian.

"I'm done, Ms. Willis," she called in her soft, childish voice.

The librarian smiled at her and swiped her card. Eyeing the books on Hermione's wagon, the librarian typed in the ones she was checking out.

"You seem to have found some new books of your interest, I see," she noticed.

Hermione nodded and grabbed her card back. "Thank you," she called.

Winding her way through the isles of books, Hermione was almost to the front when she noticed a book lying open on the table near the window.

Curiosity peaking, she dropped her wagon handle and went over to exam it. There were black and white pictures on each page, like all the others, but Hermione had never seen this one before. The pictures seemed to move. But that could not be possible.

It looked too warn and beat up to be a library book. Flipping to the front she saw someone's name. _Please return to:_ _Draco Malfoy_ it read. And underneath that was an address: 100 Center Street, London, England.

But there was no phone number.

Not wanting to leave it here for some one to steel it, Hermione picked it up and clutched it to her chest, returning to her wagon.

The whole way home, the mystery about whom Draco Malfoy is nagged at the back of her head; at the corner of her street and the street that lead to the train station, Hermione stopped.

She glanced at her watch. It was 9:47 and her parents were expecting her home at ten. She took a half a step toward her street before her curiosity nagged at her head again.

"I can take it back tomorrow," she told herself, finishing her step and taking another.

_But what if they need it now?_ She thought.

"It's just a book!" she grunted out loud.

She began walking forward again when she heard a laugh. Her head snapped up from staring at her feet; she knew that laugh. That was the laugh of Jana, the bully at Hermione's school.

Trying to turn around as quickly and quietly as she could, Hermione's foot caught a crack and she went crashing into her wagon of books.

"Well, well, well," Jana sneered, approaching Hermione. "If it isn't Granger."

"Get away from me, Jana!" Hermione growled as she stood up from her wagon and straightened herself out.

"We wouldn't of heard you if you weren't so clumsy," Jana shrugged. Her friends sniggered.

"No. You would have smelled me with your demon like senses," she snapped coolly.

Jana bared her teeth at Hermione. Her eyes caught sight of the book on the ground; the one Hermione had found on the table.

She bent down and snatched it before Hermione even knew what she had seen. "What book is this?" she asked waving it in front of Hermione's face.

Hermione held out her hands, palm up, to Jana. "Give it back and I'll tell you!"

Jana stared at her. She held the book out to her, and, right before Hermione snatched it, withdrew the book quickly. "No. I don't think I will."

She flipped the cover open and read the name. Her eyes lit up.

"Ooooh…Stole the book, did you?" she asked.

"No, I didn't steel it! I found it and I was going to return it till I ran into you. Which is pretty hard to avoid, considering you're so fat." Hermione gasped at what she had said.

Jana balled her fists up and stomped toward Hermione.

"You take that back!" she howled at her.

"Why?" Hermione choked, getting scared at how close Jana was to her. She was within striking distance now.

"Because you're a whiny little twit who thinks she's all that and doesn't even deserve to be on this earth!" Jana eyes were flashing now with hatred.

Hermione felt her fists ball. "Get away from me!" she shouted. "You're too close!"

Hermione had a disorder that caused her to get very uncomfortable when people she disliked got to close to her. It was Distress Contact Disorder.

When this happened, she would normally loose control. She did not like to loose control. Jana knew that Hermione had this disorder, yet here she was, her face right up in Hermione's.

And Hermione lost control.

Her fist swung forward and connected with the side of Jana's jaw. There was a loud crack that came from her jaw and Jana went sprawling out backwards onto the grass.

Hermione was breathing deeply, her head swirling, her body shaking. She was so scared. Jana had gotten way too close. And now she was scrambling back onto her feet with the help from her friends. She wiped away the blood from her lip and glared at Hermione.

"Get her!" Jana shouted and each girl closed in on a different side of Hermione.

Hermione closed her eyes and put her arms over her face when there was a sudden whooshing sound, like a bird flying quickly through the air. A buzzing noise was ringing in Hermione's ears--like a telephone off the

Hook-- but she kept her hands clamped tightly over her face. At first she thought the ringing was from the pain, but she realized that there was no pain.

Taking her arms off her face, she peered around but no one was in sight. Before her stood a massive iron gate with the letters MM printed on the middle. Her eyes traveled over to the address and she stared in awe.

100 Center Street, it read!

"How did I get here?" Hermione asked herself out loud.

The last thing she remembered was being surrounded by Jana and her friends. But no one was there. Hermione looked down and saw the tattered book lying at her feet. This was all so strange. She had done a lot of strange things lately, but this had to be the strangest.

Well, while she was here, she might as well return the book.

Hermione pushed on the gate and it creaked open. On her way up to the house, she looked from side to side, examining the giant lawn. She noticed that it was raining harshly. She stopped half way there as a giant mansion loomed into view from behind the fog. She shook her head and continued forward. Before she arrived at the door, she glanced at her watch; and saw that it had stopped working. The hands were spinning wildly counterclockwise. Hermione took it off and deposited it into her pocket. It was no use to her now.

When she arrived at the door, Hermione reached up for the knocker, but found it was too high up. She sidled over and pushed the doorbell. There was shuffling inside, then a lock clicked and the door opened to reveal a tall man with glowing gray eyes and long silver blonde hair.

His lip twitched as he stared down at her. "And what would a small girl like you be doing here? I do not take solicitors, if you haven't seen the sign. Which I doubt," he added eyeing her up and down.

"No, sir," Hermione exclaimed politely. "I am not soliciting, sir."

"Then what-- would you be doing here?" The man raised his eyebrows at her and sneered again. She shivered. Somehow, he made her cold.

The rain spilled down from the clouds harshly, chilling her.

"I am here to see Draco Malfoy, sir! Does he live here? Are you Draco Malfoy, sir?" she wondered.

"No. I am his father. And how do you know my son?" he spat.

"I-I found his book, sir. In the library." She blinked at him as the rain continued to spill down her back. Her hair lay flat on her head now, her legs shaking. She hoped that he would maybe invite her in. He didn't.

"Give it here!" he demanded, holding out his hand for the book, as he stood in the doorway, dry and warm.

She carefully placed the book in his hands, and, even before it was completely out of hers, he snatched it up.

"Who are you?" he slowly asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Hermione Granger, sir," she squeaked.

There was another flash of blonde hair inside the house and Hermione's eyes traveled up to see a small blonde boy, who looked just like the man in the door. She guessed that was Draco.

"Get out!" he swatted at her.

Hermione turn-tailed and ran. When she was out on the lawn again she huffed.

"How rude!" she exclaimed, turning back around from staring at the manor.

And she slipped on some wet grass and went face first into the mud.

*************************************************************

Lucius shut the door and turned to Draco. "Once you start school, you are to hate her forever. She is the enemy. She is a mudblood. Do you know who I'm talking about, Draco?' his father exclaimed.

Draco, who had been looking out the window after her, looked up at his father.

"Hermione Granger, sir. The one who is to rise up to full power next to Harry Potter, sir... She is to help in the defeat of The Dark Lord, sir," Draco pronounced the prophecy once again.

"Good," his father sneered and tossed the book at Draco. "I don't want anything like that happening again!" Then he turned and left.

Draco set the book down on the desk and walked back over to the window. He saw Hermione slip into the mud. Then, he heard a screech and looked behind her, and sure enough, there were the guard demons flying toward her.

He yelped and ran to grab his father's wand off the counter in the kitchen.

*************************************************************

Hermione scrambled up from the mud and tried to wipe herself off when a screech from behind her made her jump and stare dumbly. About four creatures about the size of a large dog were flying toward her with what looked like spears clutched in their claws. They had large leathery wings that made a sound like stone cracking each time they beat. They had beaks for noses and long tails with an arrow like design ending in spikes. They had red glowing eyes that were fixed on her determinedly, fire alighting their paths to her.

She yelped and ducked just as one swung his staff at her head. She slid in the mud underneath them, then leapt up and scrambled away to the left. One came at her from the side and whacked her hip with a spear, causing her to fly sideways. She flipped head over heels till her face landed in mud and her body stopped sliding. Her side split with immense pain, more pain than she had ever felt.

Rolling over, she saw two demons diving at her from in the sky. One was smiling so wickedly at her; it imprinted its picture in her mind permanently.

She rolled to the right and sprang to her feet as the two demons' spears struck the ground. The thud made the ground underneath Hermione shake and she fell back onto her bottom.

Another demon came up behind her, without a spear, and dug its shoulder into her back. She screamed with pain as the force made her slide forward, toward the edge of the ravine. She turned over onto her stomach and dug at the ground. Gripping the grass as tightly as she could, Hermione slipped farther down toward the edge of the cliff.

Her feet slid off the side of the cliff, and she worried about the demons seeing her, but they seemed distracted by something else at the time. Her stomach left the ground and she clung tighter to the grass. Her chest fell over the side and now only her hands still clutched at the grass above her. Her feet scraped at the sides of the cliff, trying to push herself back up. They kicked aimlessly, tiny rocks being ripped off the side as her feet connected with the rocky edge. She did not want to die…

She gripped the grass tighter, and pushed with all her might off the side, but her legs slipped and the grass ripped out of her hands.

Right as she fell, though, a hand caught at her and grabbed her arm just below her elbow. She looked up and saw the small blonde boy staring determinedly down at her. Lightening flashed and illuminated his pale face, his silver eyes flashing with determination. His chin was pointed, poising a mouth in a thin line. His small hand clutched her wrist, his arms long and slender. A well-built body was supporting his long lanky legs. A fragile body about to be broken by the whip that the monster in his life gripped, ready to strike out.

He pulled her up over the edge, and, when she looked around, saw all the demons retreating at something the small boy was flashing on his arm.

The demons closed in on them as the boy let his sleeve fall and his eyes looked drained of energy. Hermione looked down and saw a spear lying there. Carefully, she picked it up without the demons noticing her. The demons screeched again and raced forward toward them and Hermione flung the boy to the side and pointed the spear straight out toward the demons. The others were smart enough to stop and back away, but one kept coming until the spear went straight through his heart should have been and green goo spewed from the spot.

It whirled around for a sec before flopping to the ground in spasms.

Hermione stared in horror, hardly believing she had killed something. Even if it was a demon, even if it was in self-protection, she had killed a living thing. And that scared her. Then, the ghost of the demon rose from the body and cursed revenge on Hermione before it disappeared in a wisp of smoke.

"You-you k-killed… m-my _demon_!" Draco exclaimed.

"Y-yeah…" she breathed, staring at the dead body. "I guess… I guess…I did…"

Her knees gave out and she collapsed onto the ground, still conscious, though.

*************************************************************

Her clothes were soaked through, she was freezing and she was full of mud, but the only thing Hermione was conscious of was the blonde boy, presumably Draco Malfoy, standing in front of her. The demons were gone and he was carrying her somewhere. He was staring straight ahead, before he stopped and put her down.

He smiled at her dazed expression. "I'm Draco Malfoy," he whispered. "But you probably already know that."

His voice was soft and silky, removing all dreading thoughts from Hermione's mind. She opened her mouth to speak, but he planted his finger on her mouth.

"I already know. You're Hermione Granger," he smiled. She stared perplexedly at him. He laughed. An echoing voice that melted Hermione's insides into milk; a calm voice.

"I know a lot of things that can't be explained. Don't question and you won't get hurt." So smooth again. Hermione wished to drown in his voice. So powerful, yet so small. So deep, touching, calm. So wanting. So scared, scared of the monster in his life. So helpless: there's nothing he can do, but so much he wants. So much he wants, but can't have.

She was lying underneath a tree on dry grass, staring up at him.

"Just because my father said I have to hate you in school, doesn't mean I have to hate you outside of school."

The screeching of wheels announced the arrival of a car.

"Your ride is here." He smiled once more, before he stood up and backed away. "I hope we meet again some day soon, even if I do have to hate you."

Then his form disappeared and so did everything else around Hermione…

…Except Draco Malfoy's soft voice in her ears.


	2. A New Feeling

**Chapter 2-A New Feeling** 8 Years Later-

One thing Hermione had always noticed about Draco was the way he talked. There was an apparent drawl in his voice that seemed to drip with icy sarcasm. Something his voice hadn't carried when he had caught Hermione off the edge of the ravine in the front of his house; then had told her that he wished that they would meet again someday, even if they had to hate each other. Apparently, his wish had come true. And they both did hate each other.

Well, almost.

Hermione, for one, did _not _hate Draco. She never really had, she just went along with it to please Harry, and Ron, and, actually, Draco, because he seemed to want Hermione to hate him. Sometimes he was so mean to her, she wondered if he had forgotten that night, so many years ago. It seemed like an eternity ago Draco had been nice; had saved her from death. But she just knew that, somehow, he hadn't forgotten and that he would never forget.

She wondered if he hated her.

But that was all over now. Hermione had always liked Draco. Always felt something for him; but now that was changing. Or was it?

Was her feeling of like becoming deeper; or is the hate she feels for the bad part of him- the part that he shows the public- starting to wane slowly into Hermione's veins. It was a mystery, really. One that Hermione was desperate to solve.

*************************************************************

So here Draco stood, looking out at the white frosted grounds of Hogwarts in his final year there. His father had always told him that this school needed ridding of the entire filthy things **cough**…mudbloods…**cough**.

But Draco had different thoughts. He always had different thoughts than his father. He just played along so he wouldn't get hurt. So, now that he had the power to fight back at his father, what was he to do with it? He could now actually, maybe, confess his love for…

"Draco?" came Pansy Parkinson's voice.

He blinked once and saw her waving a hand in front of his face. He snatched at it with quick reflexes and held her wrist tightly. She tugged at it.

"Thank you so much for interrupting my thoughts," he drawled, clenching his teeth. He had been so close to admitting it. It was hard; he could barely admit it to himself, let alone her. And he had been so close!

"I didn't know you _could_ think," Pansy shot. "I can barely believe there's really a brain in there."

He turned his head slowly and stared at her icily. "And I can't believe I dated you for two years."

Pansy huffed, stomping her foot and stormed out of the common room. Draco smiled. He liked annoying Pansy about their futile relationship.

Draco twirled his wand lazily in his hand as he turned to go outside. He didn't know what he would say to her if he met her, but anything was better than nothing. He would just have to keep the drawl from his voice out; the drawl that his father had put there, the drawl he had believed was his for so long.

*************************************************************

Hermione felt Harry clutch her hand in his as Malfoy approached them in the snow. Alone.

_Alone. _

He had no one flanking him, to guard him if Harry or Ron threw a punch at him. Hermione wouldn't let herself hit him again. She'd rather hit herself than Draco. She only did it third year because he was gloating about something no one should gloat about. Not even him.

Draco was now standing about five feet from Harry and Hermione. Ron was standing behind them, glaring heatedly at Draco.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry growled angrily.

Draco cleared his throat. "I…err…can I…well, you see…"

He seemed lost of words, to Hermione.

"Out with it! Or I'll be forced to shove dripping wet snow down your pants till you freeze to death!" Ron shouted, making Hermione cringe. After what he had done to them fifth year and last year, Harry and Ron had looked at him as no more than filth.

"Shut your trap WEASLEY!" Draco shouted, getting some of his usual anger around them back. But his smirk still had not formed, and there didn't seem to be any signs of it either.

Ron lunged forward and Hermione found herself ripping her hand from Harry's and leaping at Ron. She caught at the back of his collar and yanked it back, sending him tumbling to the ground and crunching the snow as he landed.

Harry, Ron, and Draco stared dumbly at Hermione. She glanced momentarily into Draco's eyes. Their silver met her hazel and she felt the hatred that she had felt for him enter. She looked away. How could she hate him now? After all those years of bottled up and hidden emotion, it couldn't be possible.

Her mind thought hatred as her heart thought love.

_Love._

That's the first time she had ever admitted it to herself.

But she couldn't love Draco at the same time she loved Harry, could she? But maybe that's why there was hate. Because she was now a part of Harry and Harry hated Draco more than anyone.

But did she really love Harry?

"Erm," Draco hesitantly started, "can I talk to Herm-Granger for a sec?'

"No," Harry snapped. He walked up to Hermione and grabbed her hand again.

Hermione looked into his sparkling green eyes. Tears formed in hers. Friend was the word she described Harry as. Confusing was the word she described Draco as. But hate was what she felt for both of them right now. Hate.

_Hate._

"Why not?" Draco asked dazedly.

"I don't want a slut like you around my girlfriend," Harry jabbed his wand in Draco's direction. Hermione saw Draco withdraw a little.

"G-girlfriend?" he echoed Harry. The sorrow was apparent in Draco's eyes.

Harry just nodded. "We've been dating for two years now. Sure can keep a secret, can't we?" he said icily.

This didn't sound like Harry. It wasn't him. It was his hatred, wasn't it?

"Oh, well, then, meet me later in your office so we can talk about the Christmas Dance," Draco frowned and turned to leave.

His feet crunched in the snow as he stalked back up to the school. Maybe his feelings really were worthless? Maybe he should do what his father said…

*************************************************************

As Hermione watched Draco walk silently away she felt something different about him. Not like, not hate, but loathe. She loathed the way he treated Harry and Ron. She loathed the way he liked her but couldn't admit his feelings. She loathed that he had betrayed Dumbledore, just like his father.

_Just like his father_

That's what he was. He was just like his father. He wasn't the little boy, safe in his own world, who had saved Hermione years and years ago. That Draco Malfoy was gone. But Harry and Ron never knew this Malfoy. She hadn't told them about him. She hadn't told anyone. Something had told her to just keep it quiet. But that was when she had still believed he could change. Maybe she should tell someone tonight. Maybe Harry.

Torn between just sitting and watching Draco leave and going with Harry and Ron over to the lake, Hermione stood frozen in between the walking-away-to-the-school Draco and the walking-away-to-the-lake Harry and Ron. She dropped to her knees and stared out across the lake, not able to look at either of them.

Harry stopped and turned to her. "Hermione?" he questioned.

She cradled her head in her arms and burst out crying.

"_Hermione!"_ Harry shouted, running over to her. He pulled her into a hug that she tried to resist and push away. Harry just clung to her tighter.

_How dare he decide what she was to do! _An icy chill surged up Hermione's back.

Finally, she did what she had to do to get away from him. She bit him. A little odd, yes, but what else was there to do when her wand was tucked securely in her back jeans pocket, which Harry was crushing against her.

He yelped in surprise and leapt backwards away from her. As soon Harry's arms had released her, Hermione had darted from her spot on he ground for the forest entrance. Ron sprang after her as Harry tried to free himself of his daze, and then darted after her. Harry and Ron were much, much faster than Hermione, but she still managed to make it into the forest and cradle behind a tree in the dark. She heard Harry and Ron's footsteps on the mucky floor of the forest.

Leaning closer to the tree, Hermione froze and sunk into the shadows as they passed, yelling her name. She did not want to be found. Not now, not ever!

"Go get Dumbledore!" Hermione heard Harry shout at Ron.

Ron's footsteps could be heard echoing away from where Hermione sat in the shadows.

"Hermione, please don't do this," Harry begged, turning wildly around. "You can't let Malfoy get to you!"

She couldn't help it. "It's not Malfoy!" she screamed at him.

He turned around and faced her, only being able to see her contorted with anger face. He slowly walked forward and kneeled down in front of her. Their eyes met.

"Then who, Hermione? Who is it?" he said softly and sweetly, as if he were talking to an insane person.

Hermione felt like spitting on him. A rage, unalike any she had ever felt, filled her veins. Where was this coming from?

All she knew was that she absolutely _loathed_ when people spoke to her, Hermione Granger, in such a manner. A sudden somber feeling overtook her, as if her anger were being released, and Hermione wanted to cry.

"It's me, Harry. It's me." She grabbed her knees to her chest and rocked back and forth. "It's me…"

"No, Hermione. It's not you. It can't be you," he said shaking his head. He put a hand on her shoulder. She tensed up under his touch and remembered how warm it used to feel before. She hated everyone now. She wanted them all to go away. She wanted herself to go away. Rage once again boiled through her body, unsuppressed, and sudden, like a sudden burst of cold air.

She slapped Harry.

He fell over backwards onto the ground and stared frozen as Hermione stood up and glared down at him. She couldn't take it anymore!

Her feet twisted the leaves as she turned deeper into the forest and ran. Harry did not follow either. But someone else was; or some_thing_.

A white spirit like thing floated above Hermione's head when she stopped to see what it was. The spirit looked a lot like the demon she had seen in a picture in the book _Underneath Our Feet: Hell_. It had the same leathery wings and the beak nose. Its eyes were no more than slits that looked like they were cut into the face. It looked like… the guard demons at the Malfoy Manor! The ones that had attacked Hermione and she had been saved by…NO!

Hermione hit her fist against her head. NO!

The demon smiled wickedly down at her, amused by her pain, and she recognized that grin.

Yes, it was. It was…

The demon stretched its hands above its head and curled its legs up into its chest. It folded its wings so far into its body they disappeared in its leathery skin. The demon screeched and green light erupted from it, blinding Hermione. She stumbled over backwards and stared open-mouthed as the demon spiraled up then spiraled down straight for Hermione. It turned into a wisp of smoke right before it hit her and pulled itself into her mouth with a loud sucking noise that sounded like an injured cat being sucked down a drain as she breathed in the cold air it was emitting.

She fell over backwards and tried to suck in air, but the demon seemed to be blocking off her air passage. She breathed deeply, grasping desperately at her throat, but no air reached her lungs and her head began to swirl.

The demon inside Hermione squirmed around, and then clutched at her heart. It squeezed it tightly before the body on the outside took a large intake of breath and filled its lungs. The demon made Hermione stand and then she turned around and stared menacingly out at the castle. Her hazel eyes now glowed red, and a wicked smile played on her face. Hate was the only feeling left in Hermione's body.

And the whole time, Draco stood there and watched it happen. His father and the Dark Lord had beaten him to Hermione.

Hermione's body spasmed and jerked around. It looked as if the real Hermione was trying to wind her way back into her body. But the demon held strong.

She jerked one more time and went tumbling to the ground as the red in her eyes disappeared and Draco knew that she was fighting back the demon right now. It took a lot of energy to fight it back, so the demon would eventually gain back control of Hermione's body. This would keep going on until the demon was extracted from her.

Draco ran over to her and picked her up off the ground, cradling the only person he had ever loved in his arms.

_Love._ He had said it.

And he almost cried. The tears choked at the back of his eyes. He had never cried. The monster in his life had taught him how not to. He would not cry. He would not cry. He would not cry…

_We all cry._

_Crying is like letting go of the pain that we feel without talking. _

_Crying is a good thing. _

_Everyone cries. _

_Everyone that is a someone._

**Author's Note: **Chapter two! Yay. Oh man, I know I'm going out on a limb here, but just bare with me. Sorry it took so long, I've been so wiped lately. I hope you enjoyed, chapter three coming soon!


	3. Distractions

OMG, an update! O: Anyway, yeah, just found these chapters, and thought I'd upload them for you all.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything affiliated with it. J.K Rowling does.

* * *

**Chapter 3-Distractions**

Hermione lay unmoving, not breathing in the hospital wing. Draco stood in the doorway, watching the nurse do everything she could to heal Hermione. Ron stood at the foot of her bed, staring at her with sorrowful eyes. Harry had blandly refused to come in. From what Draco had heard, Hermione had slapped him. Ouch, he thought profoundly.

He sighed. Draco was the only one who knew what was wrong with Hermione. He was the only one who knew how to control the demon inside of her. He had already fixed up a plan to stick around her when the demon was there. And he would no matter what anyone said.

And not just because he had to control the demon, but also because he had to control the only person he had ever loved.

Draco assumed he had denied it so long-since he had never loved anyone before- because he didn't know what it felt like to love. Or be loved, for that matter.

He looked sullenly back at Hermione. Even though it did not look like she was breathing, Draco knew she was. Demons breathe through their eyes. Odd, he thought. Or knew…

Getting seemingly annoyed at the nurse's futile attempts to get Hermione to breathe, Draco snapped, "She's already breathing."

The nurse shot him an aggravated look. "How do you know, Mr. Malfoy? I do not see any signs that she is breathing," the nurse scowled.

"Because I do," was his answer.

She raised her eyebrows at him.

"Look," he sighed, "there don't have to be any "signs" for someone to know that a person is breathing. Sometimes- you just… you just know," he shrugged.

She wrinkled her nose at him. "Well, there is a pulse and a steady heart beat, but I would still feel a lot better if I could _hear _her breathing." Ron eyed him suspiciously at the nurse's comment. "Aww well, as long as she's alive…"

"Mr. Weasley," the nurse said, turning to Ron. "Headmaster Dumbledore would like to see you." She handed him the note, then shuffled away.

Ron read over the note twice before he stuffed it in his pocket and began gathering up his things. Draco attempted small talk, which, with Ron, was futile.

"What's it say?" he asked in as innocent as a voice he could. Of course, he knew what was in the letter, seeing as he had written it himself.

"None of your business, you giant git!" Ron snapped.

He strode quickly out of the room and snarled at Draco as he walked past him.

Once he left, Draco turned back to the Hermione/Demon.

He poked her in the side.

She squirmed and opened her eyes, but glowing red eyes (definitely not Hermione's, he lazily thought) was what he saw. The Demon smiled.

"Hallo, Draco," it croaked.

"What do you want with her, Balthimus?" Draco growled, addressing the demon by its real name. Balthimus's sneer was wiped from its face.

"So, you still remember yer old playmate/ guard demon from so many years ago." The look it was giving Draco made him take a step back. Balthimus sat up.

"Of course," Draco replied, trying to match the demon's look, but failing miserably. Balthimus stuck his tongue out at Draco. "I could never forget my only friend back then. _Curse my father!_"

"Well, I see you've changed. Going against yer father, now are you? I thought you had to do whatever he told you to?" Balthimus swung Hermione's hair around. "Flippy," he commented.

"That was when I wasn't able to fight back," Draco retorted.

"And you can now?" Balthimus snapped, eyeing Draco up and down. "If you even want to stand a chance against Lucius, you'd start eating more. My Lord! What do they feed you?" Balthimus screeched.

In truth, Draco had been so worried about Hermione he had refused to eat anything. He was probably the most worried about her, because he had more to worry about. For now, he silently hoped.

"They feed me enough," Draco sighed.

"Enough to what? Enough to just barely live without starving? You pitiful humans…" Balthimus mumbled the last part.

"Why Hermione?" Draco suddenly asked. Balthimus recoiled for a second. "Was it my dad? Or Voldemort? Who told you to come here?"

"It was neither your dad, nor your DARK LORD," Balthimus said sarcastically, waving his hands meekly in the air. "It was merely for my own account."

"Then-then…Why?" Draco said calmly.

"My badness! Don't you humans ever listen? I did it for my own account. It's what demons do. Since we can't go back to Hell when we die- and definitely not to heaven; oh, lord, I'd hate to think that- we simply haunt and take the first chance we get to take revenge on the one who has killed us!" Balthimus screeched.

"Revenge? Revenge for what? What did Hermione ever do to you?" Draco sulked.

Balthimus eyed him suspiciously. "You don't remember, do you?"

"Remember what?" Draco shot curiously.

"That night, so many years ago, when you first met Hermione. When you first disobeyed yer father and got beat for it. When you first saved Hermione from dying, when you first saw a demon…" Balthimus paused, seemingly unable to say the word. "_Die!"_

"When you first realized you loved her. When you first saw someone murder a thing." When he finished, Balthimus looked shamefully up at Draco. He shook his head.

Draco did remember. He could never forget that night, so many years ago. He had wondered what she was thinking then, if she was thinking the same thing as him: how could one fall in love at such a young age? He wondered what she was thinking right now, _if_ she was thinking.

"Can you hear her thoughts?" he asked without thinking about it.

Balthimus contorted Hermione's face into a searching look. "Yup," he said after a while. Draco perked up.

"What's she thinking now?" he wondered anxiously. Balthimus waved a finger in his face.

"Liked I'd tell you," he said in Hermione's voice. Draco shivered. Somehow her voice was different when Balthimus used it. It sounded less sweet and soft. Draco hoped no one would notice this. He then realized that he would have to figure out how to cure her soon. Otherwise there were going to be consequences.

There was a knock at the door and Harry walked in.

"Mind if I butt in," he asked with no question in his voice.

"Yes, actually I do. I was talking to Bal-_ Hermione_ about something in private," Draco caught himself.

"Well, too bad. I'm interrupting that," Harry retorted.

"I see that," Draco drawled. He eyed Harry as he strode over to Hermione's bed.

"I thought you'd hate her after what she did to you," Draco said after a few minutes. Balthimus interrupted them.

"Ya know it's easier to talk about someone behind their backs if they're not sitting behind your back."

"Hmph!" Harry huffed. "And I came here expecting an apology. Guess I was wrong…"

"What's new?" Draco said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Ha, ha," Harry sneered as he turned back to Hermione. "What has gotten in to you lately?"

Hermione shrugged. "A demon, maybe."

"Please don't joke about this Hermione," Harry said blandly. Hermione smiled.

It took all of Draco's will power to hold back a laugh. He clasped his hand over his mouth as he snorted. Hermione joined him.

"What's so funny?" Harry asked confusedly.

Hermione shook her head, as did Draco.

Harry stared icily at them. "Look, I just came in here to say I'm sorry for whatever I did to make you hit me, Hermione."

Draco started. He too had wondered what had made her hit him if Balthimus hadn't gotten into her yet.

Hermione stopped chuckling and her eyes returned to their normal state. She blinked blankly at them. Draco gulped and grabbed Harry, pushing him out the door so quickly Harry had not time to react. He locked it as Harry pound on the door and yelled "Let me in, you inferior git!" at Draco to let him in. If Draco were right, Hermione wouldn't remember anything of what had happened since she woke up as Balthimus.

"DRACO!" she exclaimed at seeing him. He waved weakly.

"H-hi," he stuttered. "You act like you've never seen me before."

She breathed heavily at him. "I wish…" she mumbled sarcastically.

Draco smiled at her. "Hermione…" he said quietly. She looked tentatively at him. "There's something I want to tell you. NEED to tell you…"

She cupped his face and turned his head to look at her. "Well," she urged.

"I-I-I'm not going to be- a Death Eater- anymore. I want to be… good,"

She stared at him and for a second, he thought she didn't believe him. Then, she smiled. Her heart warming, beautiful smile that could light up the darkest of places; that smile that Draco knew was reserved for him only. He had seen her smile at him like that before, but never at anyone else.

"I've been waiting forever to hear you say that. So don't be. And I'll help you."

Her face was mere inches from his. He felt his heart flutter and his eyes closed in anticipation. They both leaned forward a bit. He could feel her steady breathe on him.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw Balthimus's red eyes staring down at him. And he freaked.

Draco yelped and leapt out of his chair and went crashing to the ground where he flailed around for a second before regaining his balance.

Balthimus stuck his bottom lip out at Draco and pretended to frown. "Awww. I wanted a kissy poo," he smiled.

Draco stood up and swatted at him, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "Put a sack in it Balthimus!"

Balthimus returned his serious face. "Riiiiight…and like you didn' want it, too?" he joked.

"I'd rather kiss Potter than some filthy demon like you," Draco growled.

"Is some body upset?" Balthimus asked, acting like a mother and using Hermione's sweet tone.

_Yes! Yes, I'm upset! You just interjected my first kiss with the love of my life!_ "Maybe…" was all Draco said.

Balthimus stuck his tongue out at him again. "I can't wait to start classes tomorrow!" Balthimus exclaimed, in a very girlish way, very unalike Hermione's, and glossing over his eyes as if he were a girl meeting America's sexiest man.

"Why didn't you tell him?" Balthimus asked, flipping Hermione's hair again and changing the subject randomly.

"Err…I don't know," Draco stuttered, caught by surprise. "I guess because he wouldn't believe me, and I want somebody who would understand to know first…if that makes any sense," he answered quietly.

"No, it doesn't. BUT, exactly who _would_ you tell, if you were to?" Balthimus eyed him creepily. Draco shivered.

"Probably Dumbledore," he shrugged, turning to the door. Balthimus hopped off the bed and cut Draco off.

"Where do you think you're going?" he snarled.

"To go tell Dumbledore."

Balthimus threw his arms up. "NO, YOU CAN'T!" he shouted. "You can't let anyone know I'm here."

"Why not?" Draco asked severely. "Not thinking of actually staying in her body?"

"No. I would never stoop to the low extremities that of which the human being has created!" Balthimus joked in a low, yet childish voice.

"Balthimus cut it out!" Draco growled. Balthimus raised his hands in defense.

"Alright. I'll make a deal with you, then," Balthimus bargained.

"Alright, what's your deal?" Draco asked.

"I'll listen to whatever you tell me if you don't tell anyone about me and tell me what I need to know about her. If one goes against their side, the other gets to freely go against their side," Balthimus explained.

Draco blinked at him for a while before he held out his hand. "Deal."

As they shook hands, Balthimus seemed to be muttering something on the side of his mouth and Draco shook his head and stared at him again; he saw his mouth shut tight, smiling. He dismissed the thought with a wave of his hand.

"Now, you gotta help me around here. I know next to nothing about human magic," Balthimus smirked. "This makes it the entire better for me to make Hermione look like a total idiot."

"But you have to know the basics of magic first, so you don't kill her while you're trying to embarrass her," Draco side-commented. Balthimus frowned.

"That's what I plan on doing in the end," he commented.

"No! You'll listen to me. That's probably the only sin- no, it _is_ the only sin Hermione has ever committed. And it was in self-defense," Draco snapped.

"Fine," Balthimus grunted unhappily. "But if you go against yer end, then I _do_ get to finish her off."

Draco nodded slowly. _Of course I won't go against my end, _he thought foolishly.

"So, you better learn about that magic." Draco gestured for Hermione's wand on her bed stand.

"You'll help me with that, won't you?" Balthimus said, putting on his puppy dogface.

"No. But I will tell you everything you need to know about Hermione."

So, Draco spent the next few hours telling Balthimus about Hermione. All he had to do was keep Balthimus happy until he found the cure. He only needed to keep him happy so that he didn't go haywire and kill anyone. And now that he would listen to Draco, things were going to be a bit easier. Maybe…

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Draco sat watching Hermione sleep. He knew it was Hermione in there because demons don't sleep. Balthimus had told Draco that he would enchant Hermione in a sleep, then he would leave her body and she couldn't wake up until he was back in her body. Part of their conversation replayed in Draco's head.

"_Hermione's very smart," Draco had told Balthimus._

"_Not anymore," Balthimus had replied smiling._

"_You are one evil demon bent on revenge." Draco smiled this time._

_Balthimus shrugged. "There's not much else to do." He had looked scared the whole time, as if he expected Draco to shout out that there was a demon possessing Hermione._

"_So, that's really all I need to know about Hermione?" Balthimus asked at Draco's long pause. Draco had thought about Hermione, and what one would need to know about her. Of course he wouldn't tell Balthimus dark secrets about her, but he had to fill his end of the deal and tell Balthimus some stuff about her, otherwise he would kill her. This is what Draco thinks he's going to do in the end anyways. Even if he goes against his side and kills her there's not much Draco can do about it. No magic can bring back the dead._

"_Hallooooo, anybody in there?" Balthimus had called, waving his hand in front of Draco's face. Draco shook his head to clear his thoughts._

"_You need to know that her best friends are Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. She would never abandon them and she goes everywhere with them. Hermione also spends a majority of her time in the library, reading and doing homework. You listen to me now: you can embarrass her physically, but you better keep her reputation up or I _will_ tell Dumbledore!" Draco recited. Balthimus had nodded eagerly._

"_Hermione also has a friend, Ginny Weasley. Yes, she is Ron's little sister. OH! And Hermione is in Gryffindor, the password I don't know. You'll have to ask Harry or someone for it. Just say you forgot it. She's head girl and the password to the head dorm I DO know. It's 'wafers'. And that, my demon friend, is all you need to know about Hermione Granger." Draco finished it off proudly in knowing that he knew a lot about Hermione._

Hermione shuffled in bed, jerking Draco away from his thoughts. He sighed. He wished more than anything he could kiss her. He had seen her kiss Harry many times; but it had seemed friendly. It didn't seem like she really meant it…but maybe he was wrong, he was just seeing things. And since when did he know what and what isn't a romantic kiss?

He shook his head again and cleared those thoughts.

"Miss her, do you?" whispered a croaky voice in his ear.

Draco jumped and turned around to see Ron standing behind him.

"What do you want, Weasley?" he asked.

"The same thing you do: for Hermione to be all right. I know something besides that fall is hurting her. I don't know what it is, but I know you know. And I know that you wouldn't tell me and Harry anything if we were the last people on earth…"

"You got that right…" Draco mumbled softly.

"But this doesn't have to do with," He paused to cough violently, "us. This has to do with Hermione. And Hermione is more than just a friend to Harry and me. She's like another sister to me, and she's Harry's girlfriend. So, please, I ask you to tell someone, if not Harry or me. You don't have to do it now, but think about. Think hard about it Malfoy…" Then Ron turned and left, Draco wondering why his voice had been so croaky. _And how in the world had he gotten in there? _

He fiddled between telling and not telling. He had already decided- if he were to tell someone- that he would tell Dumbledore. But he didn't know whether to tell. Balthimus was surely to do something bad to Hermione if he did tell. But could he find the cure himself?

He hit his head with his fist. _Of course I can! Why wouldn't I be able to?_

He rubbed his eyes. Looking around the Head's Dorm, he laid down next to Hermione on her bed. He would keep her safe. He would keep her safe from anything…


End file.
